2 Kings 25 records the end of the kingdom of Judah: Babylon besieges Jerusalem, the city falls, the temple is burned, the walls are torn down, and the people are carried into exile. It also follows th

2 Kings 24 records Babylon's first major siege of Jerusalem and the removal of King Jehoiachin and many of Judah's people into exile. It presents these events not as random political misfortune but as

2 Kings 23 records what happens after the book of the law is found in the temple: King Josiah gathers the nation, reads the book aloud, makes a covenant before God, and then tears down idolatry from J

Second Kings 22 tells how a young king named Josiah ordered repairs to the temple, and during that work the high priest found the book of the law. When the king heard it read, he tore his clothes in g

2 Kings 21 records the fifty-five year reign of Manasseh, the longest and most wicked reign of any king of Judah. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had torn down, brought Baal and Asherah

Second Kings 20 tells how King Hezekiah of Judah was told he would die, prayed, and was given fifteen more years, confirmed by a sign on the sundial of Ahaz. Soon after, he showed all his treasures to

Second Kings 19 records what happens when the Assyrian threat against Jerusalem reaches its worst point. Hezekiah takes the letter of threats into the house of Yahweh and prays, and God answers throug

2 Kings 18 tells how Hezekiah became king of Judah and did what was right in the Lord's eyes, removing the high places and even destroying the bronze serpent Moses had made because Israel had begun bu

2 Kings 17 tells how the northern kingdom of Israel finally fell to Assyria and why it happened. The chapter records the siege and capture of Samaria, the exile of its people, and then gives the longe

2 Kings 16 tells the story of King Ahaz of Judah, a king who abandoned the worship of Yahweh, copied the altar of a foreign empire, and paid Assyria to rescue him from his enemies. The chapter shows i

2 Kings 15 is a chapter of two thrones and one long decline. In Judah, Azariah (also called Uzziah) reigns fifty-two years and does what is right, yet ends his life struck with leprosy and isolated fr

2 Kings 14 tells the story of two kings who reigned at the same time, Amaziah in Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel. Amaziah starts well, obeys the law of Moses in a notable way, wins a striking victory

2 Kings 13 follows two generations of Israel's kings, Jehoahaz and Jehoash, through years of Syrian oppression, half-hearted repentance, and partial obedience. It records the death of Elisha, his fina

2 Kings 12 tells the story of King Jehoash (also called Joash) of Judah, a king who did right while the priest Jehoiada was alive to instruct him, and who set out to repair the temple that had fallen

2 Kings 11 tells how Athaliah, the mother of the dead king Ahaziah, seized the throne of Judah by killing the royal family, and how her grandson Joash was hidden in the temple for six years and then c

2 Kings 10 records Jehu's purge of Ahab's house, his destruction of Baal worship in Israel, and the limits of his obedience. The chapter shows God's word through Elijah coming true in judgment while a

2 Kings 9 tells how Elisha sent a young prophet to anoint Jehu as king over Israel, and how that anointing set in motion the overthrow of Ahab's dynasty. Jehu killed King Joram of Israel and King Ahaz

2 Kings 8 gathers four scenes that show God's word proving true across borders and generations. A Shunammite widow recovers her land through an unlikely conversation at the king's court. Elisha weeps

2 Kings 7 tells how God ended a famine in besieged Samaria in a single day, exactly as Elisha had said. The city was starving, the Syrian army had surrounded it, and the king blamed God's prophet. God

2 Kings 6 follows Elisha through four scenes that move from a borrowed ax head to a besieged capital. A prophet's school needs room, a Syrian raiding party is blinded and fed, and Samaria starves unde